Pema Chödrön

Pema Chödrön

A leading exponent of teachings on meditation and how they apply to everyday life, Pema Chödrön is widely known for her insightful, down-to-earth interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism for Western audiences.

Chödrön is the resident teacher at Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery for Westerners. An American Buddhist nun, she began studying Buddhism in the early 1970s, working closely with the renowned Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche of the Shambhala Buddhist tradition until his death in 1987. She is currently a student of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. From years of study and monastic training, she addresses complex issues with a clarity that bespeaks the fruits of her practice.

Chödrön is interested in helping establish Tibetan Buddhist monastacism in the West, as well as continuing her work with Western Buddhists of all traditions, sharing ideas and teachings. She is the author of numerous books and audiobooks, including When Things Fall Apart; The Places That Scare You; The Wisdom of No Escape; Getting Unstuck; Start Where You Are; The Pema Chödrön Audio Collection; Comfortable With Uncertainty; No Time to Lose; Always Maintain a Joyful Mind (lojong teachings);Practicing Peace in Times of War; Living Beautifully With Uncertainty and Change;and How To Meditate..

What People are Saying About Pema Chödrön

“As one of Pema Chödrön’s grateful students, I have been learning the most pressing and necessary lesson of all: how to keep opening wider my own heart.”
—Alice Walker, author of We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For

“Pema’s deep experience and her fresh way of looking at things are like mountain water—clear and refreshing, as good dharma should be.”
—Jack Kornfield, author of The Wise Heart

“Chödrön demonstrates how effective the Buddhist point of view can be in bringing order into disordered lives.”
—Publisher’s Weekly

“Chödrön enables us to look at ourselves clearly, to touch the soft spot of our hearts, and to dissolve the barriers that separate us from others.”
—Spirituality & Health